Water pre-cooling jacket for a vertical multitubular-type ice-making machine

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a water pre-cooling jacket for a vertical multitubular-type ice-making machine comprising an ice maker (1) having an outer wall or jacket or sleeve in whose interior a series of vertical tubes (2) are disposed, containing water for freezing thereof, said ice maker having a cooling gas inlet (4) and an outlet (3) of said cooling gas, the pre-cooling jacket (5) having a channel (8) for recovering the cold from the cooling gas having an inlet (6) on the lower part of the pre-cooling jacket (5) and an outlet (7) on the upper part of this jacket (5), said duct extending spirally, or with any other geometry and achieving a reduction in temperature from 21° C. at the inlet to 7° C. at the outlet.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention, as established in the title, is toinclude an external jacket or pre-cooling jacket in the design of avertical multitubular-type ice-making machine to recirculate the waterthat will subsequently be used to manufacture the ice.

The present installation is characterised in that it endows ice-makingmachines of this type with a configuration and geometry such as toimprove the energy efficiency of the installation in its entirety,taking advantage of the cold losses that these machines have on theirouter surface to cool the water entering the tubes in charge of makingthe ice.

Therefore, the present invention falls within the field of verticalmultitubular-type ice-making machines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of ice is on the rise, particularly due to the demand for drinksby both the hospitality industry and by distribution chains.

Vertical multitubular-type ice-making installations have a series ofvertical tubes wherethrough water circulates and which are immersed in acooling gas that causes freezing of the water inside each tube; next,the tubes are subjected to a sudden rise in temperature that causes theice formed inside the tube and which is cylinder-shaped to becomedetached inside the tube where it was created and pass to a cutter thatcuts it to the desired size.

However, the external part of the jacket or sleeve through whoseinterior the cooling gas flows is directly in contact with thesurrounding air, which implies a heat exchange with the exterior whichis not taken advantage of, said jacket or sleeve not having anyinsulation, thereby giving rise to energy loss and decreased performanceof the machine.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to improve ice-makingmachines of this type by taking advantage of the energy loss of thecooling gas when it is in direct contact with the exterior, developing ajacket such as that described below, the essential nature of which isincluded in claim one.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a pre-cooling jacket or externaljacket or second jacket to recirculate the water that is subsequentlyused to manufacture the ice. This second jacket surrounds the sleeve ofthe ice-making machine, in whose interior a series of verticallydisposed tubes are housed, said sleeve having a cooling gas inlet and anoutlet thereof, in addition to a pre-cooling jacket that envelops theformer and through whose interior a water channel flows wherein thewater inlet of said channel is disposed on the lower part, while thewater outlet is disposed on the upper part, such that said channeldisposed spirally around the length is subject to cooling from the inletto the outlet and subsequent use as water for freezing inside the towerducts.

Due to the layout of this second jacket, heat exchange of the coolingfluid with the exterior is avoided; also, due to the presence of achannel that surrounds the length of the ice-making machine's sleeve andthrough whose interior water flows, a reduction is achieved in theinflow temperature of the water to be frozen and, consequently, a lowerenergy requirement of the water to be frozen.

EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

As a complement to the description made below, and for the purpose ofhelping to make the characteristics of the invention more readilyunderstandable, said description is accompanied by a set of drawingswhose figures, by way of illustration and not limitation, represent themost significant details of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a representation of the vertical multitubular-typeice-making machine, with the jacket object of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a detail of the cross-section of the ice-making machine,wherein the tubes housed in its interior and the second jacket disposedaround the sleeve can be observed.

FIG. 3 shows the second jacket in detail and the path of the channel ofthis second jacket, disposed throughout the length of the ice maker.

EXPLANATION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In light of the figures, what follows is a description of a preferredembodiment of the proposed invention.

In FIG. 1, it can be observed that the ice-making machine comprises anice maker (1) having an outer wall or jacket or sleeve in whose interiora series of vertical tubes are disposed, in which water circulates forfreezing thereof. Said ice maker has a cooling gas outlet (3) and aninlet (4) of said cooling gas such that it freezes the water inside thevertical forming tubes (2) and, after being subjected to a sudden risein temperature, the ice formed is extracted in the form of solidcylinders for the subsequent cutting thereof.

Additionally, the ice maker (1) has a pre-cooling jacket (5) or jacketenvelope or sleeve, through whose interior a channel (8) for recoveringthe cold from the cooling gas extends, having an inlet (6) on the lowerpart of the pre-cooling jacket (5) and an outlet (7) on the upper partof this pre-cooling jacket (5), the channel extending, in one possibleembodiment, spirally throughout the length of the sleeve, therebyachieving a reduction in the temperature of the water to be used, which,in a verified embodiment, would drop from an input temperature of 21° C.to an output temperature of 7° C.

Due to the double combination of a second enveloping jacket (5) of theice maker or its sleeve, together with a channel that extends throughoutthe length of the sleeve, energy efficiency is achieved and,consequently, a reduction in the cost of energy consumption by achievinga clear reduction in the temperature of the input water.

The essential nature of this invention is not altered by variations inmaterials, shape, size and layout of the constituent elements, describedin a non-limiting manner, sufficing for the reproduction thereof by aperson skilled in the art.

1. A water pre-cooling jacket for a vertical multitubular-typeice-making machine that comprises an outer wall or first jacket orsleeve, in the interior of which a series of vertical tubes aredisposed, inside of which water is disposed for the freezing thereof,said ice-making machine having a cooling gas inlet and an outlet forsaid cooling gas, characterised in that the pre-cooling jacket enclosesthe first jacket or sleeve, said pre-cooling jacket having a channel forrecovering the cold of the cooling gas for recirculating the water thatwill subsequently be used to make ice by said water flowing through thevertical tubes, said channel having an inlet on the lower part of thepre-cooling jacket and an outlet on the upper part of the pre-coolingjacket, and furthermore, the channel for recovering the cold of thecooling gas runs in a helical way throughout the length of the sleeve.2. (canceled)